'Tis the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God: Madonna-link ūna, Madonna-link duæ, Madonna-link tria, Wikipedia-link Madonna, & Wikipedia-link Mater Dei.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
The Book of Numbers, chapter six, verses twenty-two thru twenty-seven;
Psalm Sixty-seven (R/. two[a]), verses two & three, five, & six & eight;
The Letter to the Galatians, chapter four, verses four thru seven;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses sixteen thru twenty-one.
Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today we celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God.Video reflection by Paul E. Jarzembowski (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
St. Irenaeus says that, throughout the history of salvation, God was trying on humanity, gradually suiting divinity and humanity to one another—preparing for the Incarnation. All of that preparation was a prelude to the Israelite girl who would say yes to the invitation to be the Mother of God.
To say that Mary is the Mother of God is to insist on the density of the claim that God truly became human. As Fulton J. Sheen commented, Mary is like the moon, for her light is always the reflection of a higher light.
Catholic theology has drawn a further implication from Mary’s status as Mother of God—her role as Mother of the Church. If she is the one through whom Christ was born, and if the Church is indeed Christ’s Mystical Body, then she must be, in a very real sense, the Mother of the Church. She is the one through whom Jesus continues to be born in the hearts of those who believe. This is not to confuse her with the Savior, but it is to insist on her mission as mediator and intercessor.
Video reflection by Doctor John Bergsma (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.
'Tis the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord, within the Christmastide: Wikipedia-link Octave, Wikipedia-link Christmastide, & Wikipedia-link Twelve Days of Christmas.
The Gospel according Matthew, chapter twenty-three (verses one thru thirty-nine);
Commentary: Jesus Denounces the Hypocrisy of the Scribes & Pharisees (Matthew, 23:1-36) & the Lament over Jerusalem (Matthew, 23:37-39).
'Tis also the World Day of Peace: Pax-link & Wikipedia-link Pax.
"By her motherhood, Mary shows us that humility & tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Pope Francis (b. 1936, r. 2013-present)
"Live simply so others may simply live."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Time is a gift from God; it is a question posed by God's love to our free & fateful answer. We must be sparing of time in order to use it well in the intense activity of our life of work, love, & suffering. Idleness or boredom has no place in the life of a Christian."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)
"There was a young doctor in the southern part of the United States who took care of poor Mexican mothers & children. One day he became engaged. The young woman prepared a pre-engagement party, but the night of the party the doctor was called to care for a Mexican woman who was dying in childbirth. He did not go to the party; he saved the mother, & he also saved the child. The girl broke off the engagement. The doctor had his office above a grocery store, with a sign down below telling that his office was on the second floor. When he died after living in poverty, people wondered how he could ever be repaid for what he had done. Finally, they took the sign from the grocery store at the foot of the stairs, & they put it on his coffin. Everyone who saw his nameplate understood what his life of pain had brought him to: 'Doctor Updike, upstairs.'"
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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